Review of inexpensive headphones Skullcandy Jib True Wireless

Jib True Wireless earbuds are an overall decent package of good sound and battery, mixed with cheap build and underwhelming microphone quality.

Skullcandy Jib True Wireless earbuds are pretty comfortable due to the ergonomic design that doesn’t cut into your ears. Tips do create a bit of pressure, but it isn’t too distracting.

Furthermore, they’re built quite well for the price. The case feels decent and much more in line with the rest of Skullcandy’s truly wireless earbuds. They also sport an IPX4 rating, so sweat and rain shouldn’t pose a problem.

Moreso, they come with good battery life. You can now expect around 6 hours per single charge and another 16 hours inside the charging case.

The audio, while overall good, tends to sound muddy and can occasionally distort.

Also, the mic quality drops significantly when making calls in a loud environment. The clarity is at least usable when taking in a quiet room.

Since Skullcandy Jib True Wireless are the second cheapest TWS earbuds in the Skullcandy headphones catalog (the most affordable being Skullcandy Dime), you can’t expect too much.

But why should you pick the Jib True Wireless earbuds over their competition? Find more details below.

Sound

Star Rating 3.0 Good

An enormous bass boost of the Skullcandy Jib True Wireless earbuds wrecks the overall smooth and natural frequency response.

Skullcandy almost made another great-sounding earbud for under $30.

The Jib True Wireless sound signature is V-shaped but smooth and free of any harshness. However, they’ve gone too far with the bass, which consequently lowers the final rating.

Bass

Low-end has a heavy emphasis and extends pretty deep. It’s punchy but also a bit sloppy. On faster tracks, it can become muddy and lack control.

Because of the boost, the bass starts distorting when playing bassier music genres. The lower frequencies also lack texture and refinement, which is noticeably better in cheaper Skullcandy Dimes.

Midrange

There’s a reasonable amount of mid frequencies, however, due to a strong bass presence, they sound warm and veiled.

Thankfully, the tuning is done right, so the vocals and lead instruments still sound very natural, albeit a bit quiet due to a slight recession of the mid-tones.

Treble

Higher frequencies are in line with the midrange in terms of quantity and quality. It’s surprisingly textured for the price, giving cymbals a nice crispy sound.

The soundstage is fairly narrow, so all of the sounds play inside your head. And due to relatively quiet treble range, you can’t expect precise imaging, either.

In conclusion, Skullcandy Jib True Wireless earbuds are tuned for the masses, which makes them enjoyable for casual listening.

However, you’re quickly aware of their technical limitations when the bass kicks in and the audio quality drops severely. Nevertheless, that will only matter to purists.

They’re still a good choice if strong bass is what you look for in your music, but hate sibilant treble.

It’s worth mentioning that these cheap earbuds can get really loud very quickly. Make sure you don’t blast them for too long to prevent hearing loss.

Comfort & Fit

Star Rating 4.0 Great

Due to their feather-like weight and ergonomic truly wireless design, the Jib True Wireless earbuds are suitable for long listening sessions. The fit is good for casual use but not for sports activities.

Cheaper products aren’t known for providing good comfort and fit. Thankfully, Skullcandy Jib True Wireless earbuds are an exception.

They’re overall pretty comfortable to wear for longer durations. Even though ear tips support the majority of the weight, earbuds never feel heavy or bouncy inside your ears.

Since earbuds are so tiny, they’re suitable for users with smaller ears, as well.

You might feel some pressure when inserting them into ear canals. Thankfully, you don’t feel it during listening unless you press on the physical controls.

When pressing the control button, you push the earbud further into your ears, creating an unpleasant sensation as the pressure builds up.

The fit and stability are good as well, but not rock steady. Earbuds stay in your ears during regular use.

However, they can gradually lose their seal when you start running or walking on uneven terrain.

At that point, you have to readjust them to regain the optimal bass performance.

Durability

Star Rating 3.5 Almost Great

Despite being made of cheaper, light grey plastic, both the carrying case and the earbuds seem solid enough to survive a couple of years of regular use.

Holding the case and the earbuds for the first time gives an impression of holding something cheap.

However, not everything is that bad. Compared to a slightly cheaper Skullcandy Dime, the overall construction of the Jib True Wireless earbuds feels much more reassuring.

Earbuds are made of 3 parts that are firmly glued together. A small rubber patch with the Skullcandy logo covers the physical button.

The Jib True Wireless earbuds can certainly survive a couple of drops or getting chewed by a pet. And with an IPX4 rating of water resistance, they prevent smaller splashes of water from damaging the internals.

Since they aren’t also dust-resistant, try to avoid rolling them in the dirt.

The case is also made of plastic and feels a bit hollow. However, having thick walls and strong magnets for the lid provides excellent protection for the earbuds.

Battery

Star Rating 3.0 Good

With 6 hours on a single charge and another 16 inside the case, the Jib True Wireless earbuds aren’t too shabby. However, they lack Qi wireless charging and fast charging. Plus use an antiquated micro-USB port.

Cheaper earbuds usually suffer from poor total battery life that doesn’t pass the 5 hours mark. But, the Jib True Wireless earbuds are different.

While not impressive, having six hours of playtime is more than enough to make your long bus ride more exciting.

The charging case has an additional 16 hours of battery life. However, since it lacks fast charging, it might take a bit more time to juice the earbuds up.

Also, the case still uses a micro-USB port for charging. While that’s a cost-saving measure, it’s hard to find micro-USB cables these days, and the included one is comically short.

Features

Star Rating 2.5 Average

Skullcandy Jib True Wireless offer all the essential components, from a wide control scheme and a built-in mic. However, the latter is terrible for making phone calls.

Instead of touch controls, Skullcandy Jib True Wireless earbuds are using more reliable physical ones. They’re hidden underneath the Skullcandy logo. Simple controls provide volume controls, the ability to skip tracks and call smart assistants.

However, much like with the Skullcandy Dimes, these too are unbearable to use. By pressing them, you’re pushing earbuds deeper into your ears, creating pressure and painful sensation.

That’s a shame since they offer a good selection of possible commands.

Skullcandy Jib True Wireless controls:

Play/pause | answer/end call – one tap on either side

Track forward – hold the button for 2 seconds on the right side

Track backward – long press for 2 seconds on the left side

Volume control up – double press on the right side

Volume control down – double tap on the left side

Activate voice assistant – triple press on either side

You also can’t pair Skullcandy Jib True Wireless earbuds with the Skullcandy app.

Noise Isolation

Star Rating 3.5 Almost Great

Earbuds do a good job blocking surrounding noises and preventing them from interfering with your music. But, they’re still far from in-ear design headphones with multi-flange ear tips.

If you don’t want the noise on your commute to annoy you, then these earbuds should do the job.

Their noise-isolating fit blocks a similar amount of noise as other wireless in-ears, which means that you isolate yourself from the outside world as soon as you start playing your music.

However, the loudest sounds, like a motorcycle passing by, can still come through. To block that, you have to resort to more sophisticated solutions like multi-flanged ear tips.

Bluetooth

Star Rating 2.5 Average

Overall Bluetooth connectivity is good, with a decent Bluetooth range, SBC and AAC codecs, and mono mode support. Sadly, no multipoint, and the audio lag is pretty noticeable.

Skullcandy earbuds have an average Bluetooth range of around 33 feet. They managed to pass 2 brick walls before the audio cut off completely.

Thankfully, there were no random stutters when listening to music during regular use.

The first pairing process is also straightforward. Earbuds show in your Bluetooth menu as soon as you take them out of the case.

To initiate pairing mode again, you only have to hold the physical buttons of both earbuds for 2 seconds or until you hear “pairing.”

And for those who like saving battery life, the Jib’s support for mono mode lets you use only one earbud at a time while having the other one ear open.

Unfortunately, you don’t get multipoint support.

What Bluetooth Codecs Do They Use?

Earbuds use a standard SBC and more Apple-friendly AAC Bluetooth codec. The latter is a bit surprising at this price point yet a nice touch for users who’re rocking iPhones.

Is There an Audio Lag?

The lag when watching videos is minimal but still noticeable. If you primarily watch YouTube videos with people speaking, this lag isn’t a problem.

However, you will notice it in movies and games where effects on-screen happen before you hear them, which can be annoying.

Forcing earbuds to use SBC instead of AAC doesn’t resolve the issue.